At the “Structural Engineering Colloquium” [Kolloquium Konstruktiver Ingenieurbau] of the TU Berlin, Prof. Akkermann from KREBS+KIEFER impressed Karlsruhe with com-pletely new dimensions

On Thursday, June 19, 2018, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Akkermann, Managing Director and partner at KREBS+KIEFER Ingenieure GmbH and professor at the Technical University Karlsruhe, presented two outstanding civil engineering works in which he played a key role.

The “mega lifts”, whose dimensions would be quite elusive without a visual representation, was described by Prof. Akkermann with a historical outline of shiplift developments and their varying methods of operation, on to the most predominant design of today which resembles the principle of passenger lifts most closely.

His presentation detailed the construction of the shiplift at the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river in China and the shiplift of Niederfinow from commencement to the lifting equipment. Elements from mechanical engineering, like the internally threaded column, don’t show up in the normal day-to-day work of a civil engineer. But Mr. Akkermann was able to introduce and connect it in a very interesting way precisely with these shiplift works.

In addition, the audience at this event also got an insight into professional practices using static modelling for large systems or the development of detailed solutions to adhere to permissible tolerances of just a few millimetres, as they are customary in mechanical engineering. Another audience favourite were the anecdotes about the planning culture in China, which in some ways differ from the European approach.
Mr. Akkermann’s presentation on the TU Berlin series covering the culture of above ground civil engineering once again made it clear how broad, deep, and extremely interesting this engineering field actual is.

Our brochure, dedicated to the Three Gorges Dam shiplift operation on the Yangtze river in China, lets you read all about this impressive construction project. The link to the download is in the top right-hand corner.